Would love to see you!

In this 2 hour workshop, you will learn an easy, beautiful and traditional routine based on 5 energies of Tai Chi.

This is NOT a TV version: it is a concentrated form that integrates movement, breathing, and intent to create a brilliant routine for daily practice.

Taught by Ted Mancuso, director of the Academy of Martial & Internal Arts. For more than 40 years, Ted has been teaching, studying, writing about, exploring, and admiring Tai Chi Chuan; there is that much wrapped up in this treasure. He is passionate about teaching others to experience Tai Chi.

This is the FIRST time this workshop is being taught in Santa Cruz.

If you would like to reserve your place, please click the button below and it will take you to the shopping cart where you can pre-pay.

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Is it silly to get worked up over the return of books?

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If so, then color me silly, because I actually get excited when certain titles come back to Plum, in this case, two that have been difficult to restock for awhile: Chi Family TongBei and Chuo Jiao. In both cases, we were only able to get a few, but for the time being, we have ‘em.

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We have added some historical notes on the style called Hong Boxing; This particular style is not to be confused with either Shaolin (often called Hong); Hong, as in “to float”; or any other Hong other than that which translates as “Red Boxing.”

A reminder that, as far as our VCD collection of Long Fist is concerned, we find Hong a particularly beautiful and strong style. It is Long Fist without strong lines, but showing clear movement and visible skills. We do not bring many styles through again but Hong always deserves a look.

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On the basis of historical and contemporary observations, we can state that Taoism never was a monastic religion, for celibacy is, in fact, inconsistent with its fundamental conception of the body. From the early times of the independent local communities of the Heavenly Masters’ movement, the tao-shi, men and women, were married people. Traditionally, and even today, marriage is one condition for becoming a Great Master. Taoist monks are the rare exception.

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It is here that we find the society of the ancient commentators. Legend makes of the Old Man of the Riverside a sage who lived hidden‑ that is, who refused to collaborate with the government. When the Han emperor Ching (157-140 b.c.e.) went to visit him, he asked the sage to bow before him, being his “subject.” At this, the master quickly rose up into the air and, from up there, asked: “And here, am I still your subject?” The biography of Ho-shang kung, the oldest known commentator of the Tao-te-ching, contains little else but this story.

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Let me emphasize once more that this obscurity, this unknowable from which the being of light emerges, is not “the Tao.” The dark, unfathomable dimension is considered to be the place where “the Tao resides,” it is perhaps even the privileged modality. But the attributes of “darkness”: are not necessarily those of the Tao. The Tao is not just ineffable, mysterious, obscure- terms that would necessarily lead to a conception of the Tao as a spiritual force. The Tao is beyond duality and cannot be defined through oppositions like: expressible-inexpressible, systematic-chaotic. But to the extent that it does lie in the “permanent,” it remains unknown and unknowable, like the body in which we live and which we nourish.

This is information about Gu Ruzhang  taken from an article by Chen Xianmin in Wulin Magazine, Feb. 1984, Vol  #29.

Gu Ruzhang was from Funing village in Jiangsu. He was born in 1894 of a poor family.  At that time, his country was in turmoil.  When he was 8 years old he studied with Yan Yunqi , a teacher from Shandong.  Yan lived at the end of the Qing dynasty and at the beginning of the  Republic. He was a master of the Shaolin martial arts.  He was also proficient in the spear arts. The martial community called him “Big Spear” Yan.  Mr. Gu studied arduously with him for 10 years. He mastered all of  Yan’s true teachings.  In his early years he became famous in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and  Hubei provinces for his Shaolin martial arts.

Mr. Gu was 20 years old at the time.  He was quite willing to work hard. He had been traveling repeatedly north and south of the great river spreading the Shaolin martial arts.  When he was 20, he went south with the famous northern martial arts masters, Wan Laisheng, Wan Laiwu, Li Xianwu, and Fu Zhensong, to Guangdong. This is why they were called “The Five Tigers who went south of the river.”  In 1928, Mr. Gu was engaged to teach at the Two Guangs Guoshu Institute.  In 1929, Mr Gu founded the Guang Zhou Guoshu Association and assumed the post as director of the association.

Mr. Gu’s Shaolin kungfu attainments were very deep.  When he would demonstrate his martial skills to people, there was no one who wasn’t amazed. His Shaolin martial arts are not only suitable for demonstration, but the martial bearing achieved through the postures will enhance a person’s morals.  And it also places a special stress on solid fighting skills.  His skills were so profound that he was often able to be victorious with just one stroke.  His Shaolin Iron Palm skills were so good that people called him “Iron Palm Gu Ruzhang”.   In ordinary times his palms were as soft as cotton. But he was not a common man. But when it came time to use it, the issuing palm was so persuasive as to make the stones nod in agreement. He would manifest skill that could split like iron.  His palm strength and degree of control were so profound and awesome that modern men can not conceive of it. Many people in Guangzhou witnessed him demonstrate with  a stack of 10 bricks. After his palm came down they could see that only the bottom two bricks were intact and unbroken.  All the other bricks were shattered.  In 1931, a Russian “strong man” came to Guangzhou and was promoting a “Strong Man Show”.  Mr. Gu and his friends went to see it.  The “strong man” lead a peerlessly strong horse onto the stage and claimed that no one could get near the horse.  He announced that if any Chinese man was bold enough to come up on the stage to challenge the horse and not be killed by it, he would win 200 pieces of silver. In the crowd there is a man who recognized Mr. Gu. He shouted out loudly, “Hey Russian! You should not boast because ‘Iron Palm’ Gu Ruzhang is here!” In order to curtail the foreigner’s power and prestige, and boost his countrymen’s spirits,   Mr. Gu jumped up onto the stage with pleasure. The “Strong man” saw that his demeanor was imposing and he knew that this was not a normal person. He insisted that Mr. Gu must first be examined by doctor to demonstrate that he was sound of body. While this exam was occurring, the strong horse started to act wildly.  Mr. Gu then quickly stepped up to horse. His palm went out and he lightly slapped the horse’s back. The horse was immediately paralyzed. The next day it wouldn’t eat and died. A doctor autopsied the horse and discovered that the internal organs had suffered serious injuries.  The “Strong man”,  seeing his brag exposed, and feeling gloomy, packed his things and left. While this happened many years ago, the martial community in Guangzhou still talk about it today.

Mr. Gu’s was very skillful in the martial arts.  The Shaolin martial arts that he taught in Guangzhou included:  10 Ways of Shaolin Fist, 10 Ways of Tan Tui, Plum Flower Double Sabers, Rising Block Spear,  24 Spear, Dragon Form Sword, Tamo’s Sword, Five Tigers Catch the Sheep Staff, 16 parts of Neigong Small Golden Bell and other routines. There were several routines for paired training as well.  The 10 Ways of Shaolin Quan have a very good reputation.  They embody the very best qualities of the Shaolin Martial Arts.

The 10 Ways Fists are arranged as follows:
1.  Kai Men [Open the Door]
2.  Lie Lu [Lead the Way]
3.  Zuo Ma [Sit on the Horse]
4.  Chuan Xin [Penetrate the Heart]
5.  Wu Yi [Martial Skill]
6.  Duan Da [Short Strike]
7.  Mei Hua [Plum Flower]
8.  Ba Bu San Quan [8 Steps, 3 Fists]
9.  Lianhuan Tui [Continuous Legs]
10.  Quan Zhong Shi Fa [Fist Middle Form Method].

These 10 Fists preserve the Shaolin martial arts in a simple and unadorned fashion. They emphasize fighting, not just flowery movements.  Each technique and form is designed with the idea of attack and defense for practical fighting.  When training, the fists and feet have hard energy and the attacking energy is swift and fierce.  The Shaolin martial arts also manifest the typical characteristics of  “straight like a needle, curved like a bow,  turns like a wheel, quick like the wind, light as a leaf, heavy as iron, moving like waves, still like Mt Yue.” The composition and arrangement of the 10 Ways Fists is quite deep. The emphasis of each is mainly laid on the striking method. These make up the fundamental practice of the Shaolin martial routines. They also can develop a particular type of body quality and raise the level of competition fighting to a high degree. The martial artists of  Guangzhou enthusiastically welcomed it..  At the present time, the northern style of the 10 Ways Fists is practiced by many people in Guangzhou. Mr. Gu was tireless in his teaching.  He was earnest and conscientious. He taught his art not for monetary gain but to gain purity. Ultimately its regards the training of the fundamentals as the most important part of the Shaolin marital arts.   He put in a lot of time and hard work propagating Shaolin martial arts and he established a reasonable program for training the basic skills.

Mr. Gu had a high reputation among the martial community, but he did not think highly of himself.  He used every opportunity to demonstrate or show his students how to make progress. He was always delighted to see a youngster who was capable of catching up and exceeding him. When Chen Xianmin was 16,   Mr Gu undertook to encourage him to start teaching the Shaolin martial arts.  He would point things out from the side causing Chen to gain the teaching experience very quickly.

While Mr. Gu had consummate skill, he did not use his martial arts to take advantage of others. He treated everyone with modest and courteous manners.  He was completely without bias.  He lived in Guangzhou for 6 or 7 years and at the same time he always got along with the southern style martial arts teachers that lived there.  On the one hand he taught the Northern style martial arts. On the other hand he also researched Southern style martial arts.  He assimilated their strong qualities.  At that time in Guangzhou there was a famous Choy Li Fut teacher named Tam San.  Mr Gu had his students go study that style.  Mr Tam San had his students go study the Shaolin martial art. He made the southern students firmly master the Shaolin martial arts. He quite open and forthcoming in his teaching and writings. This was most unheard of among the old martial arts families. He was honest kind and frank.  He was often eager to help those in need.  He was not motivated by self-interest. It did not matter if the person was a friend or maybe a new follower. If they had difficulties, he always helped them generously with money. Quite a few in Guangzhou’s martial community were helped this way.  When Guangzhou’s older martial artists speak of Mr. Gu,  there is no one who isn’t filled with admiration.

Unfortunately Mr. Gu died of an illness in 1952.

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… a library to grow. In fact, they often save you enough money that you can, yes, buy more of those favorite texts on those obscure or famous styles.

We have located yet another cache of slightly dinged or even ding-less volumes which we are able to offer, in most cases, at fifty per cent off. As always, we try to find those books that might be just what you have been looking for.

In this new batch, we also add a new title, Classical Wu Style Tai Ji: The Fighting Art of the Manchurian Palace Guard. This one is by Tina Chunna Zhang and Frank Allen, both accomplished martial artists. Remember, you never have to buy. But we insist you recall that basic human pleasure, browsing, and you’ll probably find something you like…

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Here is a 44 move set with the saber originally reorganized by the inestimable Chen Fa Ke. Wu Shi Jun is one of the few teachers listed on our site who gets his  own designated page. He offers Tai Chi, Bagua and Ba Fa Quan instruction. He teaches with a clear and straight forward manner and has always  seemed an enthusiastic member of the Wushu community. The set is covered with his unusually clear movements and instruction. He offers a lot of applications at the end of the DVD. Do not expect the Queen’s English but every instruction will be decipherable. His movement is refined and graceful without being overly performance oriented. As a teacher is main skill is a nice, direct presentation of the information with relatively little decoration.

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Kung Fu Theater

Kung Fu Theater

NEW!          Patrick Lee Pushes Hands Chen style

Yao Gong Men performed by Sifu Louie
Sifu Lacey showing his Buck Sing Choy Lai Fut
Henry Look and his Guang Ping Tai Chi
Li Wing Kay shows Lau Fat Man’s Eagle Claw
Mckee Quan shares his Tibetan White Crane style

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This offering comes with an instructional book in both English and Chinese on a Shaolin form of the Eagle Claw Boxing. The book gives a brief description of the style and then a color sequence of not just the form but the basics of Shaolin Kung Fu, with written sections on essentials such as hand techniques. The VCD has minimal narration but it is in both English and Chinese. An energetic set with some powerful as well as beautiful poses. These are a little difficult to keep in stock so please bear with us.

Retreat. For some people even the word has a negative connotation. Yet there are times when we must move in a direction that seems the opposite of progress. The trick is to try to overcome our conditioned response to the idea of retreat as some kind of failure. For instance, one of the most difficult and counter-intuitive exercises I ever did in the martial arts was originally from JKD. It consisted of standing with my weight 70% on the front leg, body leaning forward, committed to instant advancement. Then, without shifting weight back, I needed to execute a shuffle step backward while keeping my eyes focused forward, in ready position, my guards up and — worst of all—my center of gravity still committed to the front. This reverse logic was meant to counteract the habit that people going into retreat mode also surrender their center of gravity to the rear. Even if some advantage is gained by the act of retreating, they cannot crystallize this advantage in time because they have overextended in the wrong direction, unable to reverse into attack mode at the crucial moment.

But there was more. There exists a deeper psychological effect, as though retreating makes you automatically feel weak and helpless. This effect recalls the harassment of political prisoners during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Guards would slap, punch or gun whip them if they lifted their gaze from the ground for any reason, at any hour of the day. Heads constantly bowed forward, many of them reported developing a strong sense of guilt from months of this treatment, the physical posture eventually engendering the psychological state.

The motive of retreating must be clear and definite. As in the exercise above, we must retreat with a strong belief in why we are retreating. And having a special yin/yang relationship all its own, the act of retreating must have enough forward concentration that you stay alert and halt the retreat the moment an advantage is gained.

How can retreating help in daily practice? Have a problem with that form you are working on? Shift to sparring for a while. The change will enliven the possibly forgotten energy and meaning of the form. Feeling stale working your combat skills? Take a break. Work on another area  of your art.  Sometimes the intensity of training can lock your brain into a series of programmed responses you only need to release for a short rest in order to discover a brilliant solution, a hugely more efficient method.

In the fuller areas of life, what should we retreat from? I can only speak from my own experience but first and foremost is that web of conditioning we are required to follow where retreat means loss. Despite our momentary doubts, many times we are only retreating from all those false signs of progress we have been taught to believe.

I gaze at a quiet patch of lawn where brilliant minds gathered for many years with no more binding need than a search for truth. What could be a better example, especially for the martial artist, of a brave soul who understood the restrictions of conditioning, as Krishnamurti himself. Every corner of this Retreat House at the Krishnamurti Foundation recalls his generous spirit and untiring pursuit of human freedom. There is so much chatter about not being locked into this or that style; people are unaware of the huge influence on Bruce Lee’s thought and so many others’ thoughts too, that Krishnamurti exerted. At the very least, I can only hope everyone gets a time to retreat, to step outside the pressure and to remember how renewing retreat can be.

The Peppertree Retreat

Wang Pei Sheng Health Exercises click

We have a lot of new titles in  Chinese to put up. Here is that internationally well-known instructor, Wang Pei Sheng. Unlike some of his more advanced material, this is a book of health maintenance and disease-warding exercises. As used to be the case in Kung Fu history (Wang is an expert in Taiji, Xing Yi, Bagua and Tong Bei) many martial teachers would suggest specialized,—one might even say custom-fitted exercises—for people who were not their own student necessarily, but needed a little help. This book came out of a series of Q & A with Wang’s responses both written and illustrated. All in traditional Chinese characters.

For instance the instructor, George Xu, likes to talk about the sea and the boats. When he tells people to move their arms he says these are like the boats. And the sea (body) moves boats. The boats (limbs) do not move themselves. This is a great analogy. It is great for a number of reasons, one of which is because not only is it true for Kung Fu, but also because it depersonalizes things. He doesn’t say that your biceps should alter to a 14 degree angle while your psoas engages in  cantilevered actions … In one sense, this is very precise and in another very inaccurate, because it does not represent the total action. It is precise in its naming but inaccurate in that it cannot represent the total action.

There are, in CMA, many analogies which people assume are poetic. For example: “When you move, you should move like the wind.” There are at least two specific points being made here. The first is that when the wind moves, it all moves together. Any real wind is moving as a totality. In fact, it is wind just because all the air is moving together.

The second point in the comparison is that when it moves, the wind goes around everything. It cannot be stopped. It flows around everything. Sometimes you will hear the expression, “Wind through a forest,” meaning  that the trees do not stop the wind. They stop everything else but the wind just adapts and flows around them. This is one famous analogy.

Another, from the classical elements, involves the idea of wood. The idea of wood is that is grows, and as it grows it seeks. Now this is an excellent analogy because many times in Kung Fu practice, when you are uprooting then throwing someone, you are doing it with so-called Growing Energy (Sheng Jin). Why this must be more like a root than a human being is revealed in the inability to analyze your way through  your opponent’s defenses. Instead, you have to expand and find the leaks. Or, more properly, your body will flow INTO the leaks and thereby accomplish its purpose.  Again, the analogy is better than the description—as you can tell from what you are reading right now.

A third well-known one is “to stand like a mountain.”  Again we have to see this as a Chinese concept. We know that a mountain is strong and Yang. But the idea also refers to the caves in the mountain. So what they are talking about is to stand firmly but with the potential for Yin inside the Yang that allows changes such as movement, shifting and internal adaptation. A good example might be to stand in a horse stance so firm that anyone can barely move you, but then to act, when you feel like moving, so fluidly you disappear as though you were collapsing into the Yin then re-forming somewhere else.

This, again, is an analogy based upon observations of Nature. Not physics, certainly, but still canny observations of the natural world. They are applied to human beings not only to teach them what to do, but to get them out of that distinctly claustrophobic way of thinking that human beings engage in when they envision themselves.

Photos by Debbie Shayne, of course

Another of  the China’s Living Treasure series with an emphasis on LiuHeBaFa style. This DVD shows standing exercises and single actions movements from LHBF. George Xu helps with the translation as Yun Yin Sen shows his Primordial Qi gathering technique. Also George gives one of his insightful presentations on the topic of “quiet” in the martial arts.

From #25060 and the CLT catalog: 

Foster City: May 5, 2013

One day, Debbie and I decided to raid our collection of old Kung Fu Theater VHS tapes and convert them to digital so we could share on Youtube. One of these in particular, a demonstration of Yao Kung Moon style, has brought a surprising number of views. We even heard from Sifu David  Louie, who was the guest and demonstrator on this particular KF Theater, who contacted Plum with a  request for a minor change in the spelling of the style. His warmth and manners shone through his email and we decided to go up and visit him and his class. Sifu Louie cordially invited us to stay through the entire three-hour session at his residence in Foster City. During this time, I saw a fascinating cross-section of this relatively little-known style, with practitioners at different levels all training hard but, also, having a lot of fun.

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Here is a offering from the China’s Living Treasure series with participating masters from arts such as Xin Yi Liu He, Chen Tai Chi, Lan Shou and LiuHeBaFa along with loads of drills and instruction on such diverse topics as XY Ten Animals, Reeling Silk practices, a Xin Yi power form, types of energy and, truly, the nature of “quiet.”

From #25061 and the CLT catalog: “Master Qian Zhao Hong is a member of Shanghai Wu Shu Association, Vice Chairman of Institute of Shanghai Pa-Kua, Vice Chairman of Institute of Shanghai Wu Dong Qigong. The majority of the content in this volume is taken from the first demonstration night at camp. It begins with Master Qian demonstrating the 250 year old Chan Ssu (spiral) taijiquan form followed by section explaining it. Master Xu continues with demonstration of the Chen taijiquan form performed with different intentions and continues with further explanations and applications. Master Qian performs the rare Fighting form from the 6 harmony/ 10 animal xinyi system. This is only the second and last time this form was performed in North America. Master Qian follows with the applications of the form with students. Master Xu demonstrates Lan Shou Chuan from and also demonstrates applications following with students. This title concludes with Master Qian discussing his history and martial theory responding from questions from students.”

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Once again, long time practitioner Tyler Rea has produced a training manual. This time his subject is one of those styles that you can research for a long time without finding much information: Bak Mei or the White Eyebrow system. This scarcity of information may be in part from the legend that Bak Mei was instrumental in the burning of the Shaolin Temple. But it is just as likely that there are few practitioners and the style has many “hidden hands.” Either way, Bak Mei is known for its tight, serious and fast hands, its sticky hands and its point attacks. In this new book Tyler explains many of the key concepts to the style and, for good measure, throws in an interesting section on the “Beggar style” of Kung Fu. Applications shown, no form.

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This is another strong production from One Hand Video. The master introduced here is Lu Gui Rong, a practitioner for more than half a century. His expertise in Yang and Wu/Hao styles is evident from his Tai Chi movement. In this stand-alone DVD he shows two good routines. The first is a series of “warm ups” all demonstrating the Tai Chi approach and not a re-hash of Yoga or some other borrowed actions. Next he gives a lengthy series based on Tai Chi’s famous Eight Energies and shows how to loop them continuously and how most of them work in application. I find that as my practice deepens the so-called basic moves offer more and more insight to the whole framework of the Tai Chi experience. Here is experience first hand.

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With the gracious permission of its publisher, Dan Miller, we reprint an article from one of our favorite Bagua resources: The Pa Kua Journal. This CD, available here, contains the entire run of this breakthrough magazine- over 1000 pages of interviews, source material, training tips, historical notes and a wealth of photographs of Bagua masters, greater and lesser known. We can never say enough good things about this treasure. I remember marveling at the quality and depth of the work with a perfect combination of translations from the Chinese and contemporary experts, wondering how many people were aware of this first-class reporting and information. Now you can have it at your fingertips. Here is a nice piece showing Sung Pao Kung’s instruction on the Single Change Palm of the Fu style …

One of the only images known to exist of the undefeatable Li Shu Wen.

This little fable refers to an unsual marriage of two great styles, BaJi or the Eight Extremes Boxing, and Pi Gua or the Split-and-Suspend Palm.These styles, so different looking, were actually taught together because they were perfect compliments for each other. At one point in their history they were split apart with major representatives in the two villages mentioned above.

At the middle of the 19th century a child, Li Shu Wen (1864－1943), was born destined to restore these styles – each based on a pair of animals – to the complimentary union they had once been. Li learned first from Jian Dian Sheng (b. 1785) of Mong Village. Then he traveled to Luo Village and studied with Huang Si Hai there.

Li was more than just a student. His martial arts were of the highest caliber. Although his stature was small, and his appearance unimpressive, his skill was marvelous, exceedingly brave, furthermore his great authority meant that when crossing hands he was never beaten. His spear technique became so potent he was known as the “God of the Spear.” Born in Zhang Sha Village he was a native of the famous Cang County, the homeland of some of the best Kung Fu in all of China geographically AND historically. Though displaying light and controlled performance he was surprisingly gifted with incredible power it was said that he almost never had to strike an opponent twice. He attracted many students who were already formidable martial artists.

Grandmaster Li Shu Wen’s last indoor student, Liu Yun Jiao.

Li Shu Wen was not a “nice person.” He took on challenges his whole life often boasting to the challenger the movement that would end his life. Even Li’s final days was a matter of dispute. Li was challenged to a fight with spears by a much younger man. Though over seventy Li took on the challenge and dispatched his opponent. Furious the fallen boxer’s family conspired and had Li poisoned. This was the end of the famous fighter. On the other hand Li was known for impassioned dedication to his art. Every chance he got he practiced his favorite weapon, the Great Spear. His lineage to this day still retains the unusual practice of this weapon。

Grandstudent Tony Yang demonstrates a move from BaJi Quan, Li Shu Wen’s specialty.

A great teacher produces great students. Many of those who studied with Li Shu Wen became important in the history of martial arts. Four of his students from Luo Tong Village were Han Hua Chen, Ma Ying Tu, Ma Fong Tzu and Zhou Shu De. These four introduced a form of BaJi Quan to the Central Martial Academy in Nanjing, a very important organziation at the time dedicated to “modernizing” martial technique and education. This was during the struggling Republican period.

Stories of Li Shu Wen:

Li was a tireless practitioner, always trying to improve his skill; winter and summer he kept practicing. It was said that he never rose at night and went to the bathroom without practicing fifty spear repetitions. Tradition has it that even when he tucked the end of the spear into his clothing and only used the left hand to control the spear, he could still not be beaten. In one instance, he thrust his spear killing a fly without breaking the window。In another, he used his Big Stick  to drive a nail into a wall, so that even using strength you could not loosen it. He poured more than 100 jin (110 lbs.) of mung beans in a gunny sack then used a waxwood staff, lifting it up from the ground and tossing it in  the air to flip over three times, before he would return it to the earth.

Li Shu Wen and Liu De Kuan

When Li Shu Wen was  at the Tianjin Hebei fishery main street he selected a field where he could teach his disciples; in the front, these words were posted: The Martial Place. As a flagpole he used one of his long staves, called Gua Spear or Hanging Spear. Hearing about this in Beijing, Liu De Kuan (Big Spear) traveled to TianJin to “gather material,” and “compare spear technique.”

At that time, the Big Spear weapon was one zhang four chǔ in length, weighing about sixteen pounds. Liu said that, even though Li’s spear/pole was larger, Li maneuvered it like a small candlestick. In the confrontation, Liu struck straight with the spear. Li used one Pi Da action to shave the attack. When his spear connected, Liu was  spun around 180. Li moved forward and tapped him with the spear three times. Liu tried another attack. He advanced with a suppressing action. Li shrank his body, then abruptly used the Yang rising action,  deflecting Liu’s stick by more than one zhang (ten feet). Liu admitted defeat and honored Li as his teacher. Li initially refused the honor, but eventually allowed Liu to learn from him.

“God of the Spear”

The next spring, a martial expert, named Yan, arrived from SiChuan. He had outstanding spear skills, unmatched in his native region. He made a special trip to TianJin to visit Li, wanting to compare skills. Both men went on guard with their spear/poles. Li, using reeling silk energy  (his specialty) made his opponent drop his weapon. But  Yan refused to admit defeat. They engaged in a second bout. Li employed an unexpected move to fling away his opponent’s staff then, advancing,  tapped his rival’s left arm. Yan still would not concede, demanding instead a third bout. Li said: “I give one or two bouts, not three. A third time, I will injure you. Take care for your left eye.” Yan would not listen, advancing fiercely with his weapon. Li used a circling move then struck through an opening in his opponent’s defense.  Holding back, he aimed at Yan’s left eye,  fiercely following with a  tap to Yan’s left eye ball. This stopped the match. Yan, holding a handkerchief to his eye, made the off the cuff remark that Li deserved to be known as a “Spear God.” Nonetheless, he followed the classic formula and said, “In 3 years  I will return to see you.” From this match Li gained a fine reputation and nickname as Spear God. Li actually prepared for Yan’s return by going back to Cang county to strengthen his spear skills. He studied a couple of years like this, and his art raised much higher.  Nonetheless, Yan never returned, always claiming a host of minor obstacles.

A Draw

Li Shu Wen was never defeated in his entire life. Only once did he fight to a draw. At the Hebei Wushu Great Hall it was decided that some of the teachers should demonstrate to widen the students and faculty experience. Only two teachers volunteered to “play around a bit.” The light sparring demonstration began between Li as the Baji instructor and Gao HuChen as the Shaolin instructor. Both of these men had mutual respect and their demonstration was eagerly awaited. Gao started with a palm attack to the head. When Li evaded, he ended up meters away. Gao attacked with another high palm strike and Li’s second evasion carried him even further. Then Li returned with a punch to Gao’s abdomen which, when Gao evaded, was followed with a high strike toward Gao. The director asked them to stop and they did, without breathing heavy or showing “the slightest disturbance of their qi.” They broke into mutual laughter. The performance was such a high level that many students and faculty were not sure what they had seen. Comments like “You have very fast hands!” pretty much described the audience reaction.

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Probably the greatest number of Baji forms we have seen in a single volume. The author, Wang Shi Quan,  studied under Wu Bin and concentrates on the Wu lineage of this great style of Kung Fu. Baji Quan is becoming better known every day. But, due to the rather thin line of heritage, Baji high level instruction is not easily avaiable. This book shows many forms—empty handed and with weapons—through pretty clear photography. A lot of photos and forms, somewhat a guide to Baji Quan.